I Guess I'm Not Original Either
by amberdowny
Summary: Drake uses an English assignment as an opportunity to tell Josh how he feels. SLASH DxJ


Title: A Sonnet (I guess I'm not original either)

Author: SP

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider and whoever else own everything. C. B. Trail obviously owns his own Sonnet. I guess I should disclaim Garrison Keillor's _Good Poems_ too, although I don't mention it by name--just as "a blue book."

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake/Josh

Word Count:

Summary: Drake uses an English assignment as an opportunity to tell Josh how he feels.  
Author's Notes: I enjoy sonnets. I like them. Even C. B.'s. The easiest way to my heart is through writing me one. Just sayin'. (newly edited, with my square brackets replaced with parentheses so they show up)

"Josh?"

Josh looked up from his laptop. "Yeah?" he replied cautiously. You could never really predict what would come out of Drake's mouth.

"You know that homework Mrs. Hayfer assigned? What was it?"

Josh was taken aback. "Are you actually going to do it?"

"Yeah, I think I am. It was something about writing a poem, right? Well, a poem is just song lyrics, right? I'm good at that."

Josh looked smug. "Well, yeah, a poem is song lyrics…but we don't have to write just any poem. We have to write a sonnet."

Drake digested this new information. "Okay…so what's a sonnet?"

Josh sighed. "Mrs. Hayfer went over it in class today."

Drake scoffed. "Yeah, like I pay attention in class. What's the point, if all she's going to do is tell me I'm wrong when I answer her questions?"

"She doesn't always--"

"Remember when she asked what language the Odyssey was written in? Or maybe it was the Iliad…well, whatever. I told her Greek, _which was right_, and she said I was wrong."

"Well, so maybe once--"

"Remember when she asked what my favorite book from the twentieth century was? That's an _opinion_ question, and she said I was wrong."

Josh gave his stepbrother a skeptical look. "Drake, did you even read _Catcher in the Rye_?"

Drake bristled. "Yes, I did!"

"What's the main character's name?" Josh replied.

"Holden Caulfield."

"What's his sister's name?"

"Phoebe."

"Tell me something about it."

"Um…Holden calls for a hooker, then chickens out of doing her, then gets screwed over when it's time to pay."

Josh looked impressed. "Okay, so I guess you've read a book in your life."

"Ha ha. Look, would you just tell me what a sonnet is?"

"Oh, fine," Josh said, sounding as though he was making a huge concession, but a small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips. "Basically, it's a form of poetry. Like a haiku, or um…" Josh struggled to think of a poetry form Drake might actually know. "Or a limerick!" he said finally, sure that Drake must know a few naughty limericks.

Looking sheepish, Drake asked, "So what's a haiku or a limerick?"

Exasperated, Josh answered, "A haiku is a three-line poem, originating in Japan. A limerick is a five-line poem, and I'm sure you know a naughty one. Um… 'There once was a man from Nantucket,' ring any bells?"

"Oh! Yeah, okay. A limerick. Right."

Josh shook his head, somewhat amused. "'Kay, so a sonnet is a form of poetry. Not as simple as a haiku or a limerick, though. In its most basic form, and our assignment tonight, a sonnet has fourteen lines, ten syllables each, with a rhyme scheme of A-B-A-B-C-D-C-D-E-F-E-F-G-G."

Drake blinked. "I get the fourteen lines and the ten syllables, but you lost me at the alphabet recital."

"Basically, every other line rhymes, except the last two, which rhyme consecutively. Maybe I'll just show you an example…Shakespeare is famous for them. Or, here, I know one that you'll like. Hang on, let me find it." Josh opened up a thick blue book, checked the table of contents, flipped to the right page, and handed the book to Drake.

"Sonnet, C. B. Trail," Drake read out loud. "The guy called his sonnet 'Sonnet?' That's not very original."

"Just read it. He uses some slant rhymes, if I remember right, but it's the basic form. And _don't_ read it out loud."

Of course, Drake did just that, lewdly, and had Josh blushing at "made you smile." When he finished, he snickered. "Just so we're clear, that's about--"

"Yes!" Josh answered hastily, before Drake could actually say it.

"Outside?" Drake clarified.

"Yes!" Josh answered again. "But the point was to look at the rhyme scheme. Did you get it? He uses the same rhymes more than once--leaves are in more than one set--and you're not supposed to, but--"

"Yeah, I got it. I think I can manage this."

Josh took his book from Drake and replaced it on the shelf. "So, why are you doing this assignment anyway?"

Drake shrugged pseudo-casually. "Oh, you know."

"No, that would be why I asked. But whatever, if you don't wanna share, then I don't wanna know. _Keep_ your secrets."

"I will," Drake replied haughtily. Then he grinned. "For awhile, at least. I might tell later."

Josh grinned back. "Yeah, you probably will."

Drake went over to the desk and dug around for a pen and some paper. Josh returned to his laptop.

--

At about eleven that night, Josh entered their room, ready to sleep. He'd just finished watching OR with his dad, and there had been a very tense splenectomy performed. He found Drake already in bed and the lights off, so he changed into his pajamas quietly and without lights. Just as Josh was about to climb into his bed, Drake sat up and switched on the small lamp beside his bed.

"Josh?"

"Yeah?" Josh replied, with a weird, déjà vu feeling.

"Um, I left my sonnet on the coffee table. Will you read it tomorrow before school?"

Josh shrugged and got into bed. "Yeah, of course."

"Okay, cool. Thanks."

"No problem. Night Drake."

"Night."

--

Josh woke up about a half-hour before his alarm went off. He grumbled to himself as he got up to go pee. He hated waking up so close to the normal time, because there was no point in going back to sleep.

After a trip to the bathroom, Josh turned off his alarm and quietly got dressed for school, so as not to wake up Drake. Then, remembering that he'd agreed to read Drake's sonnet, he sat on the couch and picked up the piece of notebook paper it was written on.

Josh's first thought was, _He'd better not hand this in like this._ The paper was filled with cross-outs, arrows and side comments, and it looked like there was a bite taken out of one corner. Josh didn't even want to know.

Then he began reading.

A Sonnet (I guess I'm not original either)

For alot of years now, we've shared a room.

I wasn't crazey about it at first.

If you'd left now, it woudn't be to soon. (that doesn't make sense, sorry)

But now I think you leaving is the worst

Thing that coud happen. I don't want to say

Goodbye. But I know that I am going

To have to. Finally, "I found a way" (hey, I quoted my own song here. I should add those quote marks)

To tell you--but really I am showing,

Right? I don't know. But I do know that I

Have too say this before you go. Or elts

I never will. And then I'll have to cry.

Josh, here's the thing: I destroyed all your belts.

No, I just needed a rhyme. This is true:

(You can hate me now) I'm in love with you.

Josh set the paper down, stunned. Then he hesitantly climbed the ladder and shook Drake awake.

"Wha?" Drake mumbled, coming awake.

"Drake. I read the sonnet."

Drake was awake instantly. "Do you hate me?" he asked in a small voice.

Josh shook his head. "No, of course not. I had no idea you felt that way too."

"Well, that was the point--wait, 'too?'"

Josh nodded. "Yeah, 'too.'"

"For how long?" Drake asked.

"I don't know…at some point after Mindy and I broke up the first time?"

Drake sighed. "Man, we should have said something then. We lost a year."

"We know now."

"I guess," Drake replied moodily, looking away from Josh.

"Drake, I don't leave for college for another seven months."

Drake just shrugged.

"Well, are we going to do anything with our newly acquired knowledge?" Josh asked.

Drake returned his eyes to Josh's. "Such as?" he asked with a smirk.

Josh leaned forward and kissed him in response.

"Mm. Yes," Drake replied, pulling away a marginal amount to get the words out. Then he resumed the kiss.

Struck by a sudden thought, Josh pulled away this time. "You're not going to hand that in, are you?"

"Of course not. I just wrote it 'cause you seemed so into the whole sonnet thing."

"So you wrote a sonnet just for me?"

"Pretty much."

Josh smiled. "Thanks."

Then, they stopped talking for awhile, too intent on exploring each other's mouths.

"You know, it's a good thing you're not handing that in," Josh said after a few minutes. "Your spelling is terrible."

Drake swung a pillow at Josh's head, and Josh ducked, both laughing.

FIN.


End file.
